Official: Vote for area to receive funds

The Greater Youngstown area is in 22nd place in Walmart’s national Facebook Campaign to support local hunger-relief efforts, two positions from moving into the top 20 communities nationwide and winning $50,000.

With just two weeks left to vote before the April 30 deadline, Michael Iberis, executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley, urged residents of Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties to continue to vote daily on Facebook.

The winning community will receive $1 million in Fighting Hunger Together grants and the next 20 communities with the most support will receive $50,000.

Communities eligible for the Walmart’s Facebook campaign are the 200 communities where unemployment rates are the highest, according to the Department of Labor.

“The Youngstown area is within striking distance to get into the top 20,” Iberis said.

Three other Ohio cities also are in the running to be among the top 20, one of which, Toledo, is in seventh place. Lima is 34th and Sandusky is 36th campaign officials said.

Facebook users can vote once per day for the community of their choice, and they need not live in the area for which they vote, said Miller, who urged everyone in the tri-county area to vote daily.

She said the six Walmart stores in the tri-county area will collect food now through April 30 for the Fighting Hunger Together campaign. Also, she said “Stuff the Truck” events are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Walmart Supercenter in Salem, 2875 E. State St., and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 28 at the Walmart Supercenter in Austintown, 6001 Mahoning Ave.

On Saturday, Salem Walmart associates are volunteering their time to help “Stuff the Truck” by asking customers to pick up extra nonperishable food items to donate to Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley to help feed families in the tri-county area.

For information on how to help feed hungry families in the Mahoning Valley, visit www.mahoningvalley- secondharvest.org or call 330-792-5522.